The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 is a 1978 compilation album collecting the charting singles of Earth, Wind & Fire. In addition to collecting previously charting songs, the album also includes three new tracks for the band: a cover of The Beatles' song Got to Get You Into My Life that became their first Top Ten pop hit since Sing a Song.

There’s also the original track September, both songs of which also became charting singles, the former also winning a Grammy Award, and Love Music which was sampled by Ghostface Killah on his track Good featured on his 2006 album ‘More Fish’. Infact September has been sampled by Crystal Waters on her track Say... If You Feel Alright from her 1996 album ‘Crystal Waters’.

Earth, Wind & Fire were one of the most musically accomplished, critically acclaimed, and commercially popular funk bands of the '70s. Conceived by drummer, bandleader, songwriter, kalimba player, and occasional vocalist Maurice White, EWF's all-encompassing musical vision used funk as its foundation, but also incorporated jazz, smooth soul, gospel, pop, rock & roll, psychedelia, blues, folk, African music, and, later on, disco. Lead singer Philip Bailey gave EWF an extra dimension with his talent for crooning sentimental ballads in addition to funk workouts; behind him, the band could harmonize like a smooth Motown group.

When it was originally released in 1978, the album was issued with a 10 track playlist, collection of the group's best and biggest singles up to that point, but missed out on a few of their earlier hits like Serpentine Fire, the ballad After the Love Has Gone, and the disco smashes Let's Groove and Boogie Wonderland. You could still check out songs like Shining Star,Can’t Hide Love, Love Music that are pretty wonderful pieces.

But even if it's an incomplete hits collection, The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 still ranks as a strong encapsulation of EWF the funk innovators.

The album rose to Nos. 3 and 6 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums and Billboard 200 charts respectively. The album has been certified Quintuple Platinum in the US by the RIAA, as well as Platinum in the UK and Canada, by the BPI and Music Canada, respectively. These guys are one of the tightest and funkiest bands ever and this record is the next best thing to having the band over to play live.

The LP jacket opens as a gatefold with black and white and colour images spread out across the span of two LPs. The inner sleeve has lyrics to all the songs on the LP.

A must listen if you love EWF. This was my soundtrack during my teens, with most of their songs played on loop on the radio. When I hear it now its nostalgia all over again for me. 

Released on: 23^rd November, 1978

Label: Columbia Records.

Reviewed by Verus Ferreira